Cette thèse de doctorat propose que les mouvements ou les soulèvements populaires puissent unir l'éthique et la politique de manière directe et pratique pour constituer un domaine à partir duquel on peut avancer une théorie normative répondant aux défis de l'injustice dans notre monde. Toute étude de ces mouvements doit prendre en compte un événement spécifique et son contexte et donc renoncer à la position de l’"observateur". J'ai donc choisi d'examiner les révolutions déclenchées dans le monde arabe au cours de la dernière décennie, en mettant l'accent sur la Place Tahrir en Egypte. Pour apprécier le caractère innovateur qu'offrent ces révolutions, il est nécessaire de commencer par démonter les fondements épistémiques profondément enracinés dans la théorie politique occidentale qui prennent en considération le succès des révolutions en se basant uniquement sur leurs résultats finaux, et en particulier leur effet éventuel sur le changement de régime. Ces mouvements populaires défient non seulement les études de démocratisation et leurs recommandations pour un changement provenant des structures du pouvoir, mais ils remettent aussi en question le domaine de la politique ainsi que ses principes fondamentaux. Cette confrontation se produit au moment où le peuple les s’aperçoivent de leur qualité d’agence et utilisent leur pouvoir politique de manière manifeste et concrète. Comme dans le cas de la place Tahrir, les citoyens créent un espace public ouvert aux désirs et intérêts de chacun, ainsi qu’à la solidarité et à la responsabilité collectives. Les conditions dans lesquelles ces mouvements organisent leur action politique collective - horizontalement, de manière non hiérarchique et sans intermédiaire de la part des représentants et des dirigeants – est une manière de résister à la menace que leur pouvoir soit manipulé pour des fins médiocres se rapportant au pouvoir de l'État. Cette forme d’organisation permet également la reconfiguration des interactions éthiques de la foule, clairement exposée sur la place Tahrir, produisant ce que j’appelle «l’éthique de companionship». Cette éthique peut être reformulée et mise en pratique d'une manière sensibilisée à soi-même et autrui, et d’une manière adaptée aux besoins spécifiques et aux injustices du monde qui nous entoure. Une « éthique de camaraderie » est donc réceptive et ouverte à la négociation et à la persuasion, et constitue avant tout un « art de vivre ensemble ». / This dissertation proposes that popular movements or uprisings can unite ethics and politics in a direct, practical manner and constitute an illuminating domain from which to advance normative theory that responds to the challenges of injustice in our world today. Any study of these movements ought to engage with a specific event and its context and renounce the position of ‘observer.’ Accordingly, I have chosen to examine the revolutions sparked in the Arab world over the past decade, particularly focusing on the account of Tahrir Square. In order to appreciate the novelty these revolutions offer, it is necessary to first dismantle the deeply entrenched epistemic grounds of Western political theory which consider revolutions only on the basis of their end results, particularly whether or not they effect regime change. These popular movements not only defy democratization studies and its prescription for change from above, they also fundamentally challenge the domain of politics and some of its basic tenets. This confrontation occurs the moment the people gain their agency and use their political power demonstrably and concretely. The domain of politics is further challenged when the people create, as they did in Tahrir Square, a public sphere that is receptive to individual desires and interests as well as collective solidarity and responsibility. The conditions under which these movements organize their collective political action – horizontally, non-hierarchically, and unmediated by representative and leaders – resist the threat of their power being instrumentalized to obtain middling results pertaining to state power. This form of organization also reconfigures the crowd’s ethical interactions, unmistakeably on display in Tahrir Square, producing what I call “ethics of companionship.” These ethics can be reformulated and practiced in manner attuned to both self and other, and adapted to the specific needs and injustices of the world around us. An ethics of companionship is responsive and open for negotiation and persuasion, and above all, it makes an art out of our living together.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The collapse of communism and the fall of the Soviet Union offered an unprecedented opportunity for the international community to support transitions to democracy in a region that had long known only totalitarian rule. Among the key players engaged in supporting efforts were U.S. grantmaking institutions, including both non-state and quasi-state aid providers. This thesis explores the motivations and evolving strategies of three different types of grantmaking institutions in a single country, Russia, with a particular focus on democracy aid provision from 1988-2002. The three types of grantmaking organizations examined through case studies include: the Ford Foundation, a private foundation with a history of international grantmaking spanning several decades; the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, a private foundation known primarily for its domestic focus with a much shorter history of international grantmaking; and, finally, the National Endowment for Democracy, a U.S. government-created and heavily taxpayer-funded organization established as a private nonprofit organization to make grants specifically for democracy promotion. Motivating factors for initiating or expanding grantmaking in Russia in the late 1980s included a previous history of grantmaking in the region, a previously established institutional commitment to democracy promotion, international peace and security concerns, and interest from a top institutional leader. Over the course of the fourteen year period studied, five grantmaking features are identified as influencing the development of grantmaking strategies: professional grantmaking staff; organizational habit; global political, social, and economic environments; market and other funding source influences; and physical presence. Though subject to constraints, the non-state and quasi-state grantmaking institutions included in this study were able to avoid weaknesses identified with private philanthropy in other research and demonstrated a willingness to experiment and take risks, an ability to operate at the non-governmental level, and a commitment to long-term grantmaking, informed by expertise.